I have to confess that I’m a little sad to see that Brouwerij Lupus changed it’s name to Brouwerij Wolf; perhaps they just had too many people asking if they’d meant “lupulus” (from the binomial name of hops, Humulus lupulus) and got fed up with explaining that lupus was the Latin for wolf.

I do love the branding, however. Who can resist a golden wolf silhouette?!

Wolf 8 is the middle beer of their range, slightly stronger than the name suggests at 8.5% ABV (they also have a Wolf 7 at, err, 7.4% and a Wolf 9 at a less confusing 9%!)

The nose is treacle sweet, with hints of liquorice that put me in mind of a thick, black cough syrup.

In the mouth, a generous carbonation helps the beer feel surprisingly light. There’s a treacle sweetness at the start, with prunes and slight liquorice hint. Over time, the sugar becomes less burnt and some very pleasant hop bitterness starts to build, while the alcohol gives a delicious warmth all the way down the throat.

This really is a seriously good beer – 4 stars.

Many thanks to Belgian Beerz for providing this year’s Twelve Beers Of Christmas!